GETTING HOT DOWN HERE

Spring has landed in a super-heated blaze in South Africa (sorry for all y’all on the wrong side of the equator!) and the sound of sunshine is in the air… It’s all over cyberspace too, so as we occasionally do on Generation Bass, here’s a compilation of enlightening links to the best in SA beats on the ‘net.

First up – tune in: disco connoisseur and odd beat enthusiast Chris Keys (who runs the exquisite Another Night On Earth blog) – is spinning on Red Rack’ems‘ Smugglers Inn Radio between 7 and 9pm GMT tonight (15 September). Keys also makes amazing space music as Sad Ghost – check out his new remix of The Groovers (available via Juno Download)…

Also streaming on the worldwide web is a broadcast from the Pan African Space Station, a fascinating project currently happening in Cape Town. Inspired by Sun Ra’s aphorism, “There are other worlds out there they never told you about,” PASS is “a cross-cultural and cyber-spatial exploration bringing together diverse pan-African sounds, from ancient techno to future roots.”

This year’s programme includes amazing musos like Dr. Philip ‘Malombo’ Tabane, Thandiswa Mazwai and Camerounian drummer Brice Wassy, and there’s a back-to-back DJ masterclass from Theo Parrish and Sowetan cutmaster Mbuso T to look forward to. Sounds amazing – just like the sounds emanating from their Long Street studio. There’s more info on the Shook site…

Shook Mag is a super – and superb-looking – publication with a global outlook and it is celebrating South Africa in its latest issue (there are also features on Chi-Town’s Footworkers, The Now Sound of Brasil and Colombian soundsystems). Accompanying the issue is an online bonus featuring a few streaming beat beauties from Joburg’s Mushroom Boyz and a fathoms-deep MP-free from Deep Sixty.

Here are a few more destinations that feature free South African beats: